Linux 7.3 will boost minimum framerates by 7x on older CPUs, which is perfect in this hardware crisis

Published Aug 20, 2026, 12:32 AM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary Linux 7.3 commit flattens cgroup scheduling to a single runqueue and adds new cgroup weight modes. Minimum FPS jumped ~7x (4→29), average FPS rose, and max frame latency fell sharply, smoothing gameplay. The fix lands in Linux 7.3, so expect it in the release channel after a few months. With the current hardware price crisis biting into every PC gamer's pocket, it feels like we're all hoping and praying that the hardware we bought years ago will last for the next few years. Fortunately, Linux developers are always working to ensure that older chips can run at their best. Such is the case with a new commit that got merged into Linux 7.3, which raises minimum framerates by 7x on an old CPU. Linux 7.3 throws a bone for aging gaming hardware Dig out that old Sandy Bridge CPU again As spotted by Phoronix, Linux developer Peter Zijlstra has been working hard to ensure that older hardware can render games to the best of its ability. In a new commit that has been merged with Linux 7.3, Zijlstra confirmed that they've fixed some issues with how Linux handles scheduling: "Series to 'flatten the pick': improve cgroup scheduling, which has always been problematic and painful, which has caused various scheduling misbehavior such as the mishandling of reniced tasks et al. Add various cgroup weight distribution methods via cgroup_mode: 'up', 'max', 'concur' and 'tasks' - with the default being 'concur ', which is the most precise yet also most expensive version. Finally, change cgroup scheduling to a single runqueue." If you prefer to see raw numbers, Zijlstra has those, too. In an update back in May, Zijlstra took their new tech for a spin by playing Shadows Awakening on an Intel Core i7-2600K and an AMD Radeon RX 580. The former was released in 2011, and the latter in 2017, so we're talking about almost decade-old hardware at the youngest. Here are the statistics from the tests, including the FPS count (higher is better) and the Frame Time (lower is better): Measurement Type Before After Frames Per Second (FPS) Min 4.0 29.0 Average 47.5 59.2 Max 83.7 83.7 Frame Time (FT) Min 9.3 10.2 Average 34.0 17.0 Max 121.2 30.0 The real winners in the above data are the big jumps in minimum FPS and maximum frame time latency. While the new tech doesn't do a whole lot on the top end, it does help round out those absolute lows for a smoother experience overall. The bad news is, we won't be seeing this on our Linux PCs for a while. Linux 7.2 has only just been released, meaning we'll be waiting two months at the absolute least for this to hit the release channel. However, it's good to see people still working to get gaming working better on older hardware.